As a person who is well versed in Tibetan Buddhism, shouldn’t the professor, at the very least be expected to uphold the most basic of the Buddha’s teachings of compassion and kindness, even to one’s enemies? What is most concerning of all is that Professor Thurman, who is also an educator that is morally bound to remain unbiased by right, has made public condemnations against Dorje Shugden practitioners.

Regardless of whether he agrees or disagrees with the practice of Dorje Shugden, whether he accepts it as a legitimate practice or not, that does not give him or anyone else for that matter, the right to discriminate the teachers and people who follow the practice. Whatever happened to freedom of religious choice? Just because we do not follow the Dalai Lama’s view on Dorje Shugden, we are labelled the “Taliban of Buddhism” by Professor Thurman. Does this mean anyone who does not agree 100% with the Dalai Lama is considered to be a terrorist in the eyes of Professor Thurman? Sounds a little too extreme, doesn’t it?

I may not be a Buddhism professor, but I’m sure the Buddha never taught how to discriminate another person’s religion if it does not fit your views. If Buddhists can discriminate Dorje Shugden practitioners, then what’s to stop them from discriminating any other religion, creating intolerance and disharmony in this world? Isn’t that against the teachings of the Buddha?

In the article, The Two Faces of Robert Thurman it says that “Robert Thurman, presumably before he begot Uma, had been one of the first Western monks with Buddhist vows and had tried twice to obtain Dorje Shugden initiation from revered masters well before the controversy began. Both masters, however, had refused on grounds of his fickle character.” 

“Bob used to push and connive for the Empowerment and he was always denied. Dromo Geshe said, Bob crawled across his floor begging and crying for it and he told him no way.”

It amazes me that he used to beg for Dorje Shugden initiation, yet now turns around and condemns it. Knowing this just makes one wonder about the psychology of Professor Thurman. Perhaps the Dorje Shugden masters were right after all, that he has a fickle character? Or perhaps he is just an extremely sour grape after being denied the practice?

So, why is Professor Thurman so angry at Dorje Shugden practitioners? It almost seems like he is out with a vengeance to destroy the Dorje Shugden practice. A thought came to my mind, could it be that Thurman’s ego was hugely bruised when he was denied the practice not just once, but twice?

It seems like just because the Dalai Lama has expressed dissatisfaction about Dorje Shugden, it gave Thurman the ammunition to call down his wrath, from his position as a professor, upon the practice and its practitioners. None were spared, even the sangha, as evident when he berated the nun named Kelsang Pema (attached a snapshot from an article reporting this incident).

Would such behaviour be accepted if it was spewed to a person of a different faith? Or did he feel entitled to react in such a manner – because the Dalai Lama said so? The last time I used the ‘someone said so’ excuse was when I was a child and lacked the faculties and experiences to form my own opinion and judgement. For a Buddhist scholar, Professor Thurman is sure not exercising much Buddhist logic when he makes sweeping statements about Dorje Shugden practitioners.

Maybe this is all about his ego, a personal vendetta against Dorje Shugden because he was told twice, “NO!” Maybe he never got over the fact that, in the opinion of some great Buddhist masters who practised Dorje Shugden, he was thought to be unqualified to be initiated into the practice. Having his gigantic ego instantly crushed twice must have hurt a great deal. What do you think he would have felt? I can imagine the anger that arose would have probably fuelled his long-held grudge against anything Dorje Shugden – the lamas, practitioners, the actual practice and the protective deity himself. Perhaps this is why he transformed into someone so uncouth and unbecoming of a scholar. It is as if he is uneducated in the Buddha’s teachings and is nasty to anyone who is a Shugden practitioner.

Wouldn’t a more rational, compassionate, kind, and neutral tone have more potential of winning us over when debating with Dorje Shugden practitioners? At least he would represent the Dalai Lama better. But I guess winning over with kindness wouldn’t have quenched his thirst for vengeance.

There is a question from the article ‘The Two Faces of Robert Thurman’, “Would he have done even more harm if he had been given the initiation?” Definitely. Not damage to the practice itself, but towards himself.

Professor was one of the first few Westerns to take Tibetan Buddhism seriously as a spiritual practice and made it into a lifelong career. Any English-speaking person interested in Tibetan Buddhism would probably, at one time or another, read the works of Professor Thurman. It is for this reason that his influence in the English-speaking world is immense, propelling him to a celebrity-like status in the Tibetan Buddhist world.

Professor Thurman’s condemnation of Dorje Shugden shines a negative light on Tibetan Buddhism and discredits him as an educator teaching Tibetan Buddhism. In fact, his readiness to accept just whatever the Dalai Lama says without further investigation, checking or debate, makes his publications questionable. Are the books truly written by him, or are they just the works of a parrot?

Unfortunately, we live in a world where celebrities have a significant influence on us, whether we willingly or begrudgingly admit it. And Professor Thurman’s intolerance towards Dorje Shugden practitioners has set a bad example in the Western world.

However, some food for thought to those who blindly follow Professor Thurman; in the East, where Tibetan Buddhism originated, countless great Tibetan Buddhist teachers practice what they preach. And there, Professor Thurman is nothing more than a mere student, just like you and me.

I am glad he did not receive the initiation of Dorje Shugden’s sogtae. Those 2 high lamas must have clairvoyant powers to see that Bob Thurman will probably not stick to the practice when the ban is announced by His Holiness the Dalai Lama.

Him prioritising fame and money in his life will definitely stop the practice and join His Holiness’s gang to be more famous. Because of this, he is able to get an endorsement from His Holiness which I think made his book sell much better.

Now he is calling Shugden people online as Buddhist Taliban when he himself wanted and begged for the practice so many years ago. Such a hypocrite.

If your motivation is not good and you are not in dharma for attain anything, but you only come to make your name look good, then very easy to change your mind all the time. Then becomes your practice is not stable, so you can break your commitment.

When we see how Thurman is react after he doesnt get his way and he doesnt get initiation, you can what his motivation is.